MY OWN ENDING
by spike tashy
Summary: SO I JUST BEAT MASS EFFECT 3. BUT I REALLY DISLIKED THE ENDINGS. SO I DECIDED TO MAKE MY OWN. SO HERE IT IS.


HEY EVERYONE. SO I JUST BEAT ME3 AND I HAVE TO SAY I DISLIKED ALL THE POSSIBLE ENDINgS SO I DECIDED TO MAKE MY OWN. SO HERE IT IS.

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Pain rippled through Shepard's body as he slowly, painfully moved forward. As he neared Anderson he knelt down, his hand going to Anderson's neck as he had done for so many soldiers in his military career. It was faint but he could feel a pulse, erratic but there. But the sound of an explosion made him turn. High above him he watched as a quarian ship exploded into millions of bits of metal and bodies. He still had a job to do. Standing back up Shepard continued onward pasted the fastly dying body of the illusive man who managed to roll over, the pistol he had held to Anderson's head still clutched in his hand. Shepard felt his eye twitch.

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A small burst of blue light and the pistol was pulled from the illusive man's hand. Moving past him Shepard stopped in front of the console. The symbols glowed up at him. one in particular caught his eye. Pushing the symbol Shepard felt the platform he was standing on shudder, as the massive arms of the citadel began to move. Shielding his eyes Shepard watched as the arms folded back farther than he'd ever seen them before. "Shepard." Shepard flinched as his comm crackled to life the voice of admiral Hackett met his ear. "Shepard what's happening down there? The arms of the station look like they're about to snap off!"

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Shepard paused before he spoke, his eyes sweeping the console in front of him for information. "Hackett. The crucible is fully docked and active." After another moment his comm crackled. "can you tell when it does? How will it stop the reapers?" Shepard had been about to speak when the console shifted, the symbols changing and displaying frequency charts next to a large radar display. Even as he watched several ships on the radar began to pulse and glow. "Hackett, if I'm reading this correctly, the crucible is some kind of….signal jammer." Behind him Shepard heard the illusive man cough. "yes. Shepard don't you see? The reapers are like the keepers. Normally they are harmless, but when they receive the signal they become this; destroyers of worlds. But it's only the signal that makes them violent." Shepard felt his comm crackle. "it can't be that simple…" Shepard spoke. "you heard all that?" a moment later. "yes Shepard, it's broadcasting on dozens of frequencies. Shepard what is going on?"

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Again the illusive man spoke. "We're standing on the top of a very large transmitter. Even when it's charging it's still broadcasting what we are saying." Shepard turned to face the illusive man. Who had managed to turn himself so he could now face the planet earth so far beneith them. "the signal is the key Shepard. The person or persons who control the signal controls the reapers." Shepard nodded. "you were trying to manipulate the signal. So you could send it out and shut it off whenever you wanted." The illusive man nodded, but began coughing as he did so. As the coughing ended Shepard could see a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. But despite this he continued.

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"this devise, the crucible is a signal jammer, one that; now that it's linked to the citadel's power supply is strong enough to broadcast itself to ever corner of the galaxy. When it sends it's signal out it will use the mass relays as signal amplifiers. Like the protheans altered the keepers to ignor the signal from the reapers the crucible will alter the reapers. It will make them ignore the 'kill' signal. They'll leave, go back into dark space. And never again will they come back. Shepard shook his head. "if you knew all this why not let it happen? Why try and stop this? Why interfere?" the illusive man chuckled and shakily pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. Putting the cigarette in his mouth the illusive man dug around in another pocket for another moment before pulling out a lighter and igniting the cigarette.

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"is it really such a bad thing? To want to be sure that your people are the ones on top. Ever species does it. The turians have the largest military in the galaxy. The salarains have the most advanced technology, even the asari had the prothean beacon that they could use whenever they wanted. I was humanity's ace in the hole. I wanted…no I had to be sure… they are so much more glamorus than us Shepard. We look at the asari and see their beauty and raw sexuality. We look at the turians and we see their stern resolve their unwavering dedication. The salarains might as well be science personified for how advanced they are. And then we look at humans…what are we? We're not the smartest or the most powerful and by no means are we pretty. We're just here. Like a cousin that tags along hoping to be as cool as the person we worship."

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The illusive man paused as he took a drag from his cigarette. "but the reapers….. with them we could have changed all that." Again Shepard shook his head. "at what cost? Where would you draw the line? My god look at yourself, you're no better than they are! You killed and tortured your own people just so you could try and make them better!" the illusive man chuckled. "you make it sound so simple. Maybe that's the trick. Maybe you have to simplify this to make sense of it." Shepard looked at him. "what do you mean?" the illusive man coughed again, more blood splattered across the metal decking. "that consol behind you; you could activate it, and do what it is you set out to do. Effectively destroy the reapers and end this endless cycle of death. Or…." Shepard watched as the illusive man pulled out a small holo-card from him pocket.

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"or before you do that you could add this to the data. It will alter the signal, and allow the holder of this card to generate the signals the reapers follow. You could send them away, or you could simply turn them off, and allow our scientists to examine them. With the information we would gain we could rebuild earth in a matter of years rather than decades or centuries. Slowly Shepard turned back so he was facing earth. "what about indoctrination?" the illusive man chuckled. "it only works when the reapers are awake. Shut them off and so goes their ability to indoctrinate people. The choice is yours Shepard. Do you fulfill your mission and end the reaper cycle? Or do you take control of them, and allow humanity to raise to the seat of power we alone have the right to hold?"

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Shepard shook his head. "we don't have the right. No one does." "don't we. It was a human who stopped saren, it was humans who stopped the collectors, and it was humans who have rallied the galaxy and fought back. And it was mostly human scientists that built the crucible. Yes Shepard we have earned this right. But as I said before Shepard the choice is yours. And I dare say you should make it soon." But again the illusive man began coughing and this time when he spoke Shepard could tell it would be for the last time. "The longer you wait the more time to reapers have to complete this cycle. Choose Shepard." a moment later a soft thud met shepard's ears as the illusive man died. looking down Shepard stared at the glowing console in front of him.

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><p>AN: WELL FOLKS. THIS IS WHERE I'LL END IT. ONT WANT TO LEAN TO FAR TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER.<p>

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THIS IS THE ONLY CHAPTER OF THIS THERE WILL BE. SO FEEL FREE TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.

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HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS AND HOPE THIS HELPS MAKE UP FOR THOSE BAZZAR ENDINGS IN THE GAME.

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THANKS FOR READING.


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